Preston boxing champion Scott Fitzgerald ready to relaunch career after being found not guilty of rape

Boxing champion Scott Fitzgerald says he is ready to relaunch his career after being found not guilty of rape following a trial at Preston Crown Court.

A jury took less than two hours to unanimously find Fitzgerald not guilty of rape - a charge he had been protesting his innocence since first being arrested in 2020.

Four years after being arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her home after an all-night drink and drugs session, the 32-year-old said outside court: “It's been four years of hell. But my focus now is getting back in the ring - possibly as early as May.

"I've been in the gym training for the past three months and I’m just so glad this is over.

"It's been horrible with this hanging over me. I always knew I was innocent and the truth would finally come out.

"Now I just need to get my boxing licence back and get down to some hard work."

The jury of five women and seven men at Preston heard they had a simple choice - who to believe over the alleged rape.

READ MORE: Boxing champion Scott Fitzgerald found not guilty of rape.

Judge Heather Lloyd told them that one of the parties was lying - the woman or Fitzgerald.

And after almost three days of evidence they took just 103 minutes to decide Fitzgerald had been telling the truth when he claimed the sex with the woman - in a bathroom just feet away from her sleeping children - had been consensual.

The boxer said she "did all the running" and had lured him upstairs and initiated intercourse.

Later she claimed she had consistently told him "no" but the jury did not believe her.

After being acquitted he told the Lancashire Post that his behaviour over the past four years “hasn’t been good.”

He was jailed for assaulting a man outside a pub and also faced other allegations of assault.

He was said at a previous court hearing to have had problems with both drink and recreational drugs.

But outside court he insisted those days were now behind him - he has been clean for more than a year and has been keeping himself in good physical shape.

"I was 28 when all this happened and I am now 32. That’s some of my prime years out of boxing. But I always wanted to retire at the age of 36 so I've got time. Let's see what I can achieve in that time," he said.

"I've not had loads of tough battles in my career and I haven't suffered too much damage - apart from what I did to myself with drink and stuff.

"When my career was halted by Covid I was about to have a big fight at the Preston North End stadium. That was taken away by the pandemic.

"I admit that over the past four years I’ve hammered my name and my reputation, but my head has been in a shed during that time.

"All I want now is to try and get back on track in the sport and see what I can achieve."